It is well-known that many standard vehicle restraint systems do not adequately protect children from injury during vehicle collisions. For example, shoulder seat belts often do not adjust sufficiently to accommodate a child, sometimes resulting in the shoulder seat belt being dangerously positioned at the child's neck. To remedy this problem, supplemental child vehicle restraints, such as child car seats, have become an increasingly popular way of properly restraining children during vehicle collisions, thereby reducing injuries resulting therefrom.
Referring to FIG. 1, child car seats 20 typically incorporate a shoulder harness restraint, having two shoulder straps 22, to prevent the child 24 from being thrown around the vehicle during a collision. In use, the child 24 is typically positioned in the car seat 20 with the shoulder straps 22 in a raised position (i.e., above the child's head). The harness straps 22 are then positioned over the child's head, and the lower end of the harness straps 22 are secured to the base of the car seat 20, usually between the child's legs.
To properly maintain the position of the harness straps 22 on the child's shoulders, car seats 20 typically include a harness clip 26, as shown in FIG. 1. The clip 26 is designed to be slidable along the harness straps 22 to facilitate positioning of the harness straps 22 over the child's head. That is, the clip 26 can be slid to the lower end of the straps 22 (FIG. 1) while the harness straps 22 are being positioned over the child's head, and can be slid up to the child's chest to hold the straps 22 together (i.e., in relative lateral positioning) during use. Such positioning of the clip 26 also facilitates use of the car seat 20 for a range of child sizes by always allowing the clip 26 to be properly positioned on the child's chest.
Proper positioning of the clip 26 is important for safety to the child 24. If the clip 26 is positioned too low (FIG. 1), the harness straps 22 may slide off the child's shoulders and could result in the child 24 being thrown from the car seat 20 (i.e., between the harness straps 22) during sudden acceleration or deceleration of the vehicle. Further, with the clip 26 positioned too low, the child 24 may be tempted to crawl out of the car seat 20 through the harness straps 22, resulting in an obviously unsafe condition. With the clip 26 positioned too high, the clip 26 can be uncomfortably positioned around the child's neck, and may dangerously restrict the child's breathing.
Sometimes a properly positioned clip 26 can slide from a proper position to an improper position. For example, the clip 26 may slide down the harness straps 22 due to gravitational forces of the clip 22 itself and/or due to vibration from the vehicle. Also, the child's movements may cause the clip 26 to slide down the harness straps 22. In addition, the child herself may intentionally slide the clip 26 down to make the harness straps 22 more comfortable.